Mandatory assistants due to EU regulations: So soon all new cars will have a black box

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Anyone who has bought a new car in the past few months has already noticed: on new cars a warning signal constantly beeps, bleats or flashes. You’ve barely exceeded the speed limit or glanced briefly at the navigation system and the speed assist or caution alert beeps loudly, warning you to drive slower and please look ahead. Sometimes more than one system can ring at the same time.

The reason for this lies in the new General Safety Directive of the European Union (EU), which mandates certain driving assistance systems for new vehicles. As early as 2018, the EU set a target of halving the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads by 2030. The first successes on this path are already visible: the number of road deaths in Europe has been falling since the turn of the millennium. There should be no fatal traffic accidents by 2050. The new mandatory assistants are intended to contribute by preventing dangerous situations and motivating drivers to comply with the rules; otherwise a beep will be heard.

Only new cars, no old cars

Newly released models should have these assistants from July 2022. All new cars introduced in the EU from July this year and in Switzerland from April must now be equipped accordingly. This means that car manufacturers also have to renew their models that have been on the market for a long time with technology. For the vast majority of people, the update went smoothly, with Assistants either installed as standard or available as an option for an additional fee.

Why is such an EU regulation also valid in non-EU Switzerland? Because our cars have to comply with EU type approvals when they are put on the market. These include new regulations regarding compulsory aid systems. Important: Old vehicles do not need to be refurbished; The regulation only applies to newly launched vehicles.

Even if we get used to some assistants, they can change the way we drive.

The immobilizer, which allows only sober people to start the engine, is still not mandatory! But now all new cars must be ready to retrofit such an Alko immobilizer through a standard interface. Volvo has used it for a long time under the name Alcoguard.

To date, some auto insurers have voluntarily offered such an accident data recorder. Everyone who had it installed benefited from lower insurance premiums. The feature, called “event-related data logging,” is new but a must-have in the car. It constantly records driving data such as speed, accelerator pedal position, anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESP) activity, lean and steering angle in a temporary memory. Old data is overwritten at regular intervals; so you won’t be able to look back for hours, days or weeks.

Data is only permanently recorded when crash sensors register a collision to trigger the airbag, for example. Five seconds before the accident and 300 milliseconds after the accident are recorded retrospectively. This will make it easier to reconstruct future crashes, including whether the accident driver turned off ESP due to overconfidence.

Intelligent speed alert (Intelligent Speed ​​Assist, or ISA for short) looks at the navigation system and traffic signs recognized by the camera. When you exceed the valid speed limit, the vehicle notifies and warns you with an audible or visual warning on the combined display. No, the vehicle neither brakes nor reduces power because the driver is responsible for how hard the gas pedal is pressed. However, there is a need for up-to-date digital navigation maps and traffic sign recognition that are as accurate as possible. The latter in particular does not always work perfectly; especially since the graphics of traffic limits and signs for their removal vary slightly from country to country. The permissible speed is not always clearly recognized.

The longer you sit behind the wheel, the less attentive you become due to fatigue. The fatigue warning system monitors steering movements, for example: If the steering movements become more jerky, the algorithm assumes that attention has decreased and instructs the driver to take a break. In some newly launched models, such as Toyota’s bZ4X or Subaru’s Solterra, a camera also monitors the driver’s face and reminds him to concentrate more if he’s blinking more frequently or keeping his eyes closed for too long. In the Chinese brand Nio, artificial intelligence-controlled assistant Nomi says “Stay focused!” on the control panel. he shouts. (“Stay careful!”) As soon as you look at the navigation system. Assistance systems cannot yet distinguish between the need to look at the navigation system or radio, for example, and loss of attention.

This assistant applies full braking when the front radar sensor detects that the distance to the vehicle in front is too small. The radar sensor is already installed in many vehicles because it is also required for distance measurement with adaptive cruise control. Unfortunately, some radars also react to tunnel or garage entrances and apply the brakes for no reason in fear of a collision.

If the emergency brake assist is activated, the emergency brake light also comes on. The brake lights flicker, similar to a flashing alarm system, alerting traffic behind to a sudden decrease in speed. This assistant has already prevented many rear-end collisions.

It should not be confused with the lane warning system, which only gives an audible or visual warning when leaving the lane. Lane Keeping Assist actively intervenes in automatic steering when the vehicle is in danger of leaving the lane. This system is also already installed in many high-priced new cars. But when road markings are worn or missing, cameras and sensors often do not work reliably; the system then reports this on the screen.

A flat tire can have fatal consequences at high speeds. The sensors therefore constantly monitor the tire pressure of all four tires and instantly report even the smallest deviations. This is especially important for run-flat tires, otherwise the drop in pressure is barely noticeable. This system has also been applied to cars for a while.

Reverse assist helps avoid collisions during manoeuvres: If it detects an obstacle via the camera or ultrasonic parking sensor, it brakes immediately.

Simplest solution: Always drive within the speed limit and be careful enough, then there will be no warning signal. However, for example, if the lane keeping assistant is annoying by constantly interfering with the steering, it can also be turned off. Depending on the make and model, you’ll have to dig deep into the settings menus – or, like Mercedes, there’s a button directly on the home screen. However: With each restart, all assistants are activated again.

Source: Blick